Stacker



Dec. 30, 193). R` HITCHCOCK 1,786,752

STACKER Filed Nov. 23, 1928' 2 sheets-Sheet 2 M u. Hill.

3) ATTORNEY;

type.

' liatentedl ec. 30,` lg3d` 1 UNITED STATES PAT12.19ffl?A .QFFIWGEL REUBEN HITCHCOCK, OFCLEVELAND, omo, essie-Nonno mn CLEVELAND nonnina` MACHINE-coneau?, or' CLnvELANn,'oHro,A1ConPonArIoN- Cromo STACKER Application filed; lioyemher` 23, 1928. VSerial No. 321,352.

This invention relates to improvements in Y stackers forpaper handlingmachlines,v particularly` paper foldingmachmes, and has special utility in the stacking of foldedv Sheets of the sheets themselves is madeeffective to advance the stack. Y

Another object is the. provision in a stacker of feeding means adapted to resist `rbuckling of the .folded sheet, iwhereby the sheet` itself is adapted totransmit energy edgewise of the sheet in suiiicientamount to producer `the required travel of the stack.

Other objects andea-tures of noveltywill appear as I proceed with the description of that embodiment of the invention which, for the purposes Aof the present application, I have illustrated` in the accompanying dra-wingsin which i a y Figure l is a longitudinal vertical sectional View illustrating one embodiment of the invention mounted-for use inconjunction with apaper folding machine ofthe buckle fold Fig. 2 is a planview of the stacker alone, the view being taken substantially on the line 2-,--2,r Fig. l, and

Fig. 3 is an end elevational vieyv of the stacker, the View being partially in section upon the line 3-,3 of Fig.,l. l, In Fig. 1, frame members of a folding ina.- Chine are indicated at 10-and 11. A fragment of a feedtable of the folding` machineis shown at 12'. fFeeding and folding rolls are illustrated at 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17, andfold sections at 18, 19 and 20. These are of conventional form. Folded sheets passing through therolls 16, 17 are deflected kby a curved guide plate 21, and by it directed between delivery rolls 22` and 23. All of the rolls described are kpositively driven in some suitable manner known inthe art. Y ff, The stacker frame, which is preferably ell.-

,A Another object isthe` provision o f av stecke., ker of this character in whichthe movement tirely separate from the frame of the folding machine,fmay comprise castings 24 and 25j upon which are supported angle bars 26 and 27 To the vertical flanges of these angle bars-are riveted or otherwise secured,4 side plates 28 and 294 These plates are braced near theirupper edges by tWo. rectangular bars. 30 and 31.

In the plate 29 I mount a. headed pint-le 32` which has a reduced portion extending' through the plate and is threaded on its eX? tremity to receive a nut f 33. Rotatably mounted upon the pintle 32 is an idlerpinion 34, When the stacker frame is in position adjoining the frame` of a folding machine, l

the pinion 34 is brought into mesh with some. conveniently positionedgear on the zfolding machine, in the present instance a gear 35 on Qneend of roll 23. l

Pinion 34 meshes with a pinion 36 which is pinned to a roller; 37 mounted rotatably in theplates 28. and 29. On the inner'sides of the-two plates 28` and 2,9 I secure thick iron plates or blocks 38 and 39, having therein horizontal slots lin which are mounted the trunnions 40 of a roller 41.` Adjusting screws 42 are lthreafdably mounted yin the plates 38Y and 39and extend into the slots Where they contact with the said trunnions 40. 0n ,thek rollers 37, 41 I mounty anlendless belt carrier 43, Whichisfurnished at intervals With projections v44 adapted to engage the Vrear edges of folded sheets and move them Without slippage upon the.belt. p Y

Betweentlie plates 28 andw29; beyond the delivery end `of carrier43 lI mounty a Wide bar 9. rlhis bar supports one end of a table 45.

vThe'otlier end of this table not shown) may be supported byliany suitable means. The table, as illustrated in Fig. 1, is slightly be'- lov the llevel of the upper run of carrier 43, and comes into-fairly close proximity therewith, so as tobe adapted to receivefolded sheets from the carrier.

A Wooden-block 46 rests "upon the table 45 and is movableV uponth'e surface of the latter. The front side of this block is preferably inclined, Vas shown in Fig. 1, and con, stitutes an abutment for the forward end of a. stack of folded sheets, the forward sheet of which is indicated in the kdrawing at A.

like

Upon the bar 30 there are mounted for lateral adjustment a pair of brackets 47, carrying sheet metal fingers 48, which are 1nclined with respect to the surface of the carrier 43, and thus tend to confine the folded sheets between closely spaced walls in order to succesfully resist buckling when the forward edges of the folded Vsheets are sub]ected to pressure, as they are in the operation of my stacker.; The bar 31 also'supports adJustable brackets 49, carrying sheet metal fingers 50. The rear ends of these latter fingers are' bent downwardly to form rear abutments 51 for the paper stack. p which are preferably resilient, are deflected backwardly at their lower or free ends, forming a fiared Vopening to the lower rear side of the stack.

In the operation of the machine, folded sheets are fed in close succession, although not necessarily in evenly spaced relation, from the delivery rolls 22, 23, and received between the upper run of carrier 43 and the rear upwardly flared extremities of fingers 48. The contact of each sheet with the surface of the carrier urges the sheet forward until one of the projections 44 positively engages with the rear edge of the sheet, after which it moves at belt speed. As the sheet moves forward with the belt it is compressed more or less by the fingers 48. A folded sheet in this position is indicated at B in the drawings. As the fingers 48 extend forwardly to` a position above the roller 41, a sheet emerging from the endless carrier possesses some little rigidity in its own plane. The forward edge of the sheet, which is folded, therefore strikes the rear of the stack with some little force and tends to push it along upon the table 45, overcoming the inertia of block 46 and the friction between that block and the table 45. The rear side of the stack is inclined,y owing to the inclination ofthe rear side of block 46, and the forward edge of the moving sheet, after its first encounter with the stack, is deflected by the stack as indicated at C in Fig. 1. Further movement forces the forward edge between the rear of the stack and thel abutment fingers 51, and if the stack has not already been moved suiciently to admit the new sheet, the latter exerts a wedging action which separates the stack and the abutments 51. This action may either move the stack or fiex the abutments 51. If it does the latter, the energy thus built up is added to when the next sheet is pushed in front of the abutment lingers, and sooner or later this energy becomes sufficient to impart a forward push to the stack and to the block 46. After the machine has Vrun for a time and a considerable number of sheets are in the stack, those which are nearest the block 46 are removed by the operator, and the block is pushed back into con- These abutments, f

tact with the forward sheet of the remaining stack.

Vhile I have shown and described in considerable detail, one particular embodiment of the invention this specific disclosure is for the purpose primarily of fully illustrating the invention, and is not to be construed as constituting any limitation upon the scope of the invention.

Havingk thus4 claim:

l. In a sheet stacker for use in connection with paper handling machines adapted to deliver sheets one after another, a table adapted to support a stack of sheets on edge, and means for positively moving sheets one at a time edgewise against the rear of said stack,

described my invention, I

whereby the latter is advanced on said table step by step.

2. In a sheet stacker for use in connection with paper handling machines adapted to deliver sheets one after another, a table adapted to support a stack of sheetsonv edge, and means for positively moving sheets one ata time edgewise against the rear of said stack, saidr means being adapted to resist buckling of the sheet, whereby the stack is advanced on said table step by step.

3. In' a sheet stacker for use in connection with paper handling machines adapted to deliver sheets one after another, a table adapted to support a stack of sheets on edge, and means for positively moving sheets one at a time edgewise against the rear of said stack, said means comprising confining walls between which the sheets travel, whereby buckling of the sheets is resisted and whereby the stack is advanced step by step on said table. 1

4. In a sheet stacker for use in connection with paper handling machines adapted .to deliver sheets one after another, a table adapted to supporta stack of sheetson edge, and means for positively moving sheets one at a time edgewise against the rear of said stack at an obtuse angle with respect to the planes of the sheets in the stack, whereby all of the sheets are deflected by the stack in the same direction.

5. In a sheet stacker for use in connection with paper folding machines adapted to deliver folded sheets one after another, a table adapted to support a stack of sheets, means for maintaining an inclined position of the sheets in said stack, and means for feeding sheets edgewise one at a time aga-irst said stack in a direction lengthwise of the table.

6. In a ysheet stacker for use in connection with paper handling machines delivering sheets one after another, means adapted to support a stack of sheets, yieldable means for opposing the travel of said stack, a resilient abutment for the rear end of said stack, and means effective as the said sheets travel toward said stack for forcing them between said abutment and the rear end-of said stack7 i whereby said yieldable means is overcome and the stack is advanced step by step.

' 7. In a sheet stacker `:for use in connection with paper handling machines delivering sheets one after another, "means adapted to support a stack of sheets, apresilient abutment forthe rear end of said stack, said abutment having a free edge flared away from the rear of said stack, and means effective as the said sheets travel forward one at a time for forcing them between said resilient abutment and the rear end of the stack, whereby the stack previously formed and the abutment are wedged apart.

8. In a sheet stacker for use in connection with paper handling machines delivering sheets one after another at unequal time inv tervals, means adaptedto support a stack of sheets, yieldable means for opposing the travel of said stack, an abutment for the rear end of said stack, a conveyor to convey the sheets to the said support, and projections on said conveyor .to engage the rear edge of the sheets to positively force the sheets bef tween the stack andsa-id abutment.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto ailix my signature.

REUBEN HITCHCOCK. 

